RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, & Cultural Heritage reviews new books, periodicals and reports; exhibition, book and auction catalogues; and databases, websites, blogs, and other electronic resources, pertaining to the world inhabited by cultural heritage institutions, including (but not limited to) special collections libraries, museums, and archives.
Writing a review is a great way to contribute to the professional discussion about our literature and is an ideal venue for new authors. The Editors of RBM welcome students and early professionals to indicate your interest in reviewing. We encourage those who may not have written a review in a while, or who may not have written a review at all, to volunteer.
All reviews accepted for publication will be accessible via this online portal, and a selection will be included in one of the biannual print issues. The online portal is an extension of the Reviews section in the biannual print issues of RBM. Inclusion in the online portal indicates the same level of review quality, while expanding RBM’s capacity for reviews beyond the limitations of print page count.
If you are interested in being added to the slate of prospective reviewers, please complete the RBM Reviewers Form, including a description of your area(s) of interest/expertise.
Publishers, readers, or prospective reviewers who would like to suggest resources for review may do so through the Review Suggestions Form.
If you have any questions, please contact RBM Reviews Editor John Henry Adams at j.adams@missouri.edu.
Recent Reviews
Check back soon for more reviews!
2022 Reviews
Ballantyne, Tony, Lachy Paterson, and Angela Wanhalla, eds. Indigenous Textual Cultures: Reading and Writing in the Age of Global Empire. Durham, NC and London: Duke University Press, 2020. Paperback, 368 p. $28.95 (978-1-4780-1081-4); cloth, $104.95 (978-1-4780-0976-4). Reviewed by Julie K. Tanaka.
Jeannette A. Bastian and Andrew Flinn, eds. Community Archives, Community Spaces: Heritage, Memory and Identity. London: Facet Publishing, 2020. Softcover or ebook, xxiv, 190p. £69.95/US$89.95 (ISBN 978-1-78330-3502). Reviewed by Eric Hung.
Curating Under Pressure: International Perspectives on Negotiating Conflict and Upholding Integrity. Janet Marstine and Svetlana Mintcheva, eds. New York, NY: Routledge, 2021. Ebook, xxv, 264p. $40.45 (ISBN: 978-0-8153-9621-5). Reviewed by Alison Reynolds.
Lucas A. Dietrich. Writing Across the Color Line: U.S. Print Culture and the Rise of Ethnic Literature, 1877–1920. Amherst and Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2020. Paper, 199 p. $26.95. ISBN: 978-1-62534-487-8. Reviewed by Alison Fraser.
Adam Gordon. Prophets, Publicists, and Parasites: Antebellum Print Culture and the Rise of the Critic. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2020. Paperback, 280p. $27 (ISBN: 978-1-6253-4453-3). Reviwed by Nicole Topich.
Beatrice Gruendler. The Rise of the Arabic Book. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2020. Hardcover, 262p. $39.95. ISBN:978-0-674-98781-4. Reviewed by Jessa Feiler.
Mary Kandiuk, ed. Archives and Special Collections as Sites of Contestation. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press, 2020. Softcover, 520p. $35.00 (ISBN 9781634000628). Reviewed by Bradley J. Wiles.
Sheila Liming. What a Library Means to a Woman: Edith Wharton and the Will to Collect Books. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2020. Paperback, 280p, $27.00 (ISBN 978-1-5179-0704-4). Reviewed by Maureen Maryanski.
On the Road Again: Developing and Managing Traveling Exhibitions. 2nd ed. Rebecca A. Buck, Jean A. Gilmore, and Irene Taurins, eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. Paperback, 105p. $35.00 (ISBN: 978-1-5381-3077-3). Reviewed by Erika Hosselkus.
Reading Mathematics in Early Modern Europe: Studies in the Production, Collection, and Use of Mathematical Books. Philip Beeley, Yelda Nasifoglu, and Benjamin Wardaugh, eds. New York, NY: Routledge, 2021. Hardcover, 348p. $160 (ISBN 978-0-367-60925-2). Ebook, 348p. $44.05 (ISBN 978-1-003-10255-7). Reviewed by Lena Newman.
2021 Reviews
Calhoun, Joshua. The Nature of the Page: Poetry, Papermaking, and the Ecology of Texts in Renaissance England. Material Texts. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2020. Reviewed by Elizabeth DeBold.
Cunningham-Kruppa, Ellen. Mooring a Field: Paul N. Banks and the Education of Library and Archives Conservators. Ann Arbor, MI: The Legacy Press, 2019. Cloth, 287p. $65.00 (ISBN: 9781940965154). Reviewed by Edwina A. Murphy.
Galbraith, Steven K. A Brief History of the Book from Tablet to Tablet. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2020. Paperback, xv, 164p. $50 (ISBN: 978-1-4408-6939-6, ebook ISBN: 978-1-4408-6940-2). Reviewed by Carla N. Cain.
Huyck, Heather A. Doing Women’s History in Public: A Handbook for Interpretation at Museums and Historic Sites. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. Paperback, 247 p. $39.00 (ISBN 9781442264175). Reviewed by Rochelle Theo Pienn.
Miller, Julia, ed.: Suave Mechanicals: Essays on the History of Bookbinding, vol. 6. Ann Arbor, MI: Legacy Press, 2020. Hardcover, xix, 505p. $95 (ISBN 978-1-940965-16-1). Reviewed by Diane E. Bockrath.
Miller, Steven. Museum Collection Ethics: Acquisition, Stewardship, and Interpretation. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2020. Paperback, 203p, $32.00 (978-1-5381-3520-4). Reviewed by Martha A. Tanner.
Music Library Association’s Working Group for Archival Description of Music Materials. Archival Description of Notated Music. Music Library Association & Society of American Archivists, 2020. Ebook, 166 pages. Free (ISBN 978-1-945246-55-5). Reviewed by Ikumi Crocoll.
Nesmith, Tom, Greg Bak, and Joan M. Schwartz, eds. “All Shook Up”: The Archival Legacy of Terry Cook. Chicago, IL: Society of American Archivists; Ottawa, CA: Association of Canadian Archivists/Association canadienne des archivistes, 2020. Reviewed by Francesca Marini.
Raven, James ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. Hardcover, xxxvi, 431 p. $39.95 (ISBN 9780198702986). Reviewed by Linda Isaac.
2020 Reviews
Benoit III, Edward and Alexandra Eveleigh, eds. Participatory Archives: Theory and Practice.(London, England: Facet Publishing, 2019). Reviewed by Lauren Goss.
Botticelli, Peter, Martha R. Mahard, and Michèle V. Cloonan. Libraries, Archives, and Museums Today: Insights from the Field. (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Reviewed by Greta Reisel Browning.
Eliot, Simon and Jonathan Rose, eds. A Companion to the History of the Book, 2nd edition. (Hoboken, NJ: Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley Blackwell, 2020). Reviewed by Jessie Sherwood.
Meehan, Bernard. The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College Dublin, fully revised and updated edition. (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2020). Reviewed by Diana La Femina.
Millar, Laura A.. A Matter of Facts: The Value of Evidence in an Information Age. (Chicago, IL: ALA Neal-Schuman, 2019). Reviewed by Laura J. French.
Paliewicz, Nicholas S. and Marouf Hasian Jr. The Securitization of Memorial Space: Rhetoric and Public Memory. (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2019). Reviewed by Lena Newman.
Peiss, Kathy. Information Hunters: When Librarians, Soldiers, and Spies Banded Together in World War II Europe. (Oxford University Press, 2019). Reviewed by Joshua C. Youngblood.
Trusting Records in the Cloud. (London, UK: Facet Publishing, 2019). Reviewed by Tamara E. Livingston.
Vinson, Michael. Bluffing Texas Style: The Arsons, Forgeries, and High-Stakes Poker Capers of Rare Book Dealer Johnny Jenkins. (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2020). Reviewed by Brian Shetler.